"The Judge" Blog Tour

About the Book: When a brilliant billionaire is diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, he realizes that all his considerable wealth cannot prepare him to meet his Maker. But he has an idea that might: he will stage the ultimate reality show. With his true agenda hidden, he auditions followers from all the world’s major religions, inviting them to the trial of their lives on a remote island, where they must defend their beliefs against spiritual challenges.

Oliver Finney, a feisty old judge with his own secrets, is chosen to defend Christianity. As the program takes a strange twist, he quickly realizes he is trapped in a game of deadly agendas that may cost him his life. With Internet access monitored, Finney sends coded messages to his law clerk, Nikki Moreno. Aided by a teen crypto-geek, Nikki soon discovers the key to understanding Finney’s clues in an apologetics book Finney wrote and must race against time to decipher the mysteries contained in the ancient words of Christ before her boss dies defending them.

(Previously published as The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney.)

 

 

 

About the Author: Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned more than 10 legal thrillers and was recently a finalist with John Grisham and Michael Connelly for the inaugural Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction sponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal. Randy runs his own law practice and has been named to Virginia Business magazine's select list of "Legal Elite" litigation attorneys. In addition to his law practice and writing, Randy serves as teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He calls it his "Jekyll and Hyde thing"—part lawyer, part pastor. He also teaches classes in advocacy and civil litigation at Regent Law School and, through his church, is involved with ministry opportunities in India. He and his wife, Rhonda, live in Virginia Beach. They have two grown children. Visit his website at www.randysinger.net.

 

 

 

My Take:

It isn’t very often that I read a book that I don’t want to put down.  The Judge was one of those books.  As I read it, I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen.  The concept of a reality TV show pitting defenders of the major world faiths against each other in a court of law was absolutely fascinating.  The depiction of the five “contestants” was perfect.  I felt like I knew each of them and couldn’t wait to see them in court.  For me, this was the main story and the part that interested me the most.

For others, I'm sure the main story was the second plot line that involved the main character’s assistant and the codes they were passing back and forth.  Though that part was interesting, it got to be too much.  During the sections where they were trying to crack the code, I kept wanting to return to the courtroom to hear from the contestants.  The description on how they cracked the code was, at times, excessive and dragged on. This actually kept me from giving it a 4.5 BookWorm rating.

The end of the book was one of the best endings I have read in a very long time.  This was my first time reading a Randy Singer book, but I know for certain that it will not be the last. 

This book combined elements of a courtroom thriller, a spy novel, and a mystery/thriller.  I can’t wait to read more.

I will give The Judge ... 4 BookWorms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."